A reciprocating internal combustion (IC) engine may include a connecting rod-crankshaft assembly including a bearing provided at a fork end of the connecting rod. This type of arrangement allows for rotation of the crankshaft within the fork end of the connecting rod. The bearing forms a critical component of the connecting rod-crankshaft assembly.
During operation of the engine, the bearing may undergo considerable friction. The friction may cause an increase in operating temperature of the bearing. In some situations, the increase in the operating temperature of the bearing may rise above a permissible threshold or faster than a permissible rate, causing over heating leading to failure of the bearing. Failure of the bearing in turn may cause irreparable damage to the connecting rod-crankshaft assembly, and may sometimes lead to a complete failure of the engine.
Methods to determine the temperature of the bearing are known in the art. For example, WO Patent Number 9,940,401 discloses a thermoelement for controlling a temperature in a region of a bearing of a machine part, especially an engine connecting rod or a crankshaft, the machine part being composed of an electroconducting material. The thermoelement has an electrical connection line which is provided on the machine part. An end of the electrical connection line, which is closer to the bearing than the other end is connected to the machine part in an electroconducting manner so as to form a closed electrical circuit. The end closest to the bearing is composed, at least at the connecting point, of an electroconducting material which is different from the machine part material.
Known systems may have a complex construction requiring drilling of channels and bores within the system in order to house temperature sensing elements and related components in connection with the connecting rod. The drilled channels and bores may tend to increase fatigue failures of the connecting rod. Additionally, the manufacturing process of the connecting rod may be overly laborious and expensive. In systems where the temperature sensing elements may be directly mounted on a moving part, the temperature sensing elements may fail prematurely due to mechanical damages.